The 2017 Presidential Inauguration takes place Friday. I don't think I've written a word here or on Twitter about Donald Trump since he was elected in November. Then, last week, I wrote a couple of Tweets about what I call the Trump Paradox.

The Trump paradox:You don't want to feed the troll, but you can't ignore the most powerful man in the world. https://t.co/ocrtAAkO4M

When Donald Trump the reality show host writes petty Tweets and makes ludicrous statements, my instinct is to completely ignore him. After all, if 15 years of blogging has taught me anything it's that one should not feed the trolls. Ignoring is the best course of action.

When Donald Trump the President-Elect does the same, my instinct is to continue ignoring. But Trump is about to become the most powerful man on the planet, and how can you ignore statements made by someone with such a title? This is the Trump Paradox.

In essence, the man does not deserve our respect, but the office demands it. It's going to be a rough four years.

In 2000, I didn't think George Dubya Bush had a chance. I wasn't blogging yet, but if I was I'd be linking now to an arrogant post about how Americans aren't dumb enough to elect an idiot like Dubya. I did write this in 2003 and called him naive and stupid.

Fast forward to 2004 when I was certain John Kerry would win the Presidency. It seemed obvious to me. Once again, I was wrong.

Then, there was 2010. I'm still trying to live this entry down. I'd delete it, but it seems to bring such joy to my friends like Il Duce.

Rob Ford, they seem to like you in Ward 2, Etobicoke North. Please run there. Toronto's next mayor won't be a bike lane hating, Transit City killing social conservative who promises to "cut everything but police spending to tame the city budget. Libraries, parks, whatever."

We all know what happened next. Once again, I was wrong.

At this point, I should have learned my lesson, but I most certainly did not. Donald Trump so turned my stomach, I could only handle him in very small doses. I didn't need to worry about him actually winning the election because I was certain Hillary Clinton would prevail. All the analysis, most of the polls, and almost every pundit reinforced my belief that Americans would do the right thing.

Last night, I asked my oldest daughter if she was ready to witness history. At 7pm, I was still confident. In fact, I wondered aloud if they might call Florida in her favour by 9pm and shortly thereafter realize Trump had no path to victory. I smiled at my sleeping 7-month old daughter when I realized she didn't even have to live a full year without a woman president of the United States of America.

In reality, by 9pm I was reassuring my oldest daughter that everything would be okay. Once again, I was wrong. In fact, I think this is the wrongest I've ever been about an election.

Winston Churchill once said the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. I need to stop overestimating these people. I'm tired of being wrong.

I've yet to write a single word about Donald Trump's pusuit of the most powerful job in the world. To be honest, I kept waiting for common sense to prevail, but here we are....

The RNC is taking place in Cleveland this week, and it's what I'd have expected. Here's a nice synopsis from Daniel Dale, who knows a thing or two about covering populist candidates in pursuit of power.

This election has gone on far too long. Shame on Harper. It's so long, a usually informed and engaged chap like me has yet to truly plug-in.

I was at a wedding Saturday and chatted with a buddy who noticed I haven't written about our federal election. The fact is, I did write one entry, but that's it. I just haven't dove in yet.

But I do read the news, listen to the news, and follow the zeitgeist via Twitter, and there's an awful lot of noise about women wearing a niqab during citizenship ceremonies. People seemed outraged that this could one day be permitted. In fact, actual issues of importance have been drowned out by this debate. It's sad.

What am I missing here? Is this plain and simple Islamophobia? Why does it matter if a woman wears a niqab during a citizenship ceremony?

I'm not a fan of any religion. I think it's a big honkin' slice of bullshit designed to oppress and suppress, and I believe we'd all be far better off without any of it, but I respect one's right to follow a religion, even Islam.

I think some people confuse issues, and think women will not be identifying themselves before reciting the oath. The fact is, would-be Canadians are required to provide multiple proofs of identity and those who wear face coverings must remove them before the ceremony in private before a citizenship official. The citizenship ceremony comes after these key steps.

Harper might not be a very good Prime Minister, but he's a very clever campaigner. He's managed to tap into Canadians' racism to win a minority government.

The "first-past-the-post" system we currently have forces people like me to vote strategically instead of voting for the person they'd like to lead. For example, those who wanted Olivia Chow to win, but were afraid a vote for Chow would help Doug Ford win, would be able to rank their candidates so a vote for Chow isn't a vote for Ford.

Our current first-past-the-post system forces many of us to vote strategically instead of for the party we want in power. Let's use my riding as an example.

Last election, the Conservative Party candidate won my riding with 40.26% of the vote. The Liberal Party got 34.04% and the NDP got 21.6%. The end result was another CPC MP, helping Stephen Harper stay in power.

It's looking like this is going to happen again. Most of us don't want Harper to win, but we're split between the NDP and Liberal Party. I know who I'd like to see win, but it's more important to me that we defeat the Conservative candidate in my riding. As a result, I will vote strategically. I will vote for the candidate with the best shot at beating the Conservative Party.

We're getting smarter. This time, we're organized. I've joined VoteTogether.ca and I urge you to as well. There's nothing wrong with voting strategically to serve the greater good. The current first-past-the-post voting system demands it.

Obama vs. Alan Keyes. Keyes was from out of state, so you can eliminate any established political base; both candidates were black, so you can factor out racism; and Keyes was plainly, obviously, completely crazy. Batshit crazy. Head-trauma crazy. But 27% of the population of Illinois voted for him. They put party identification, personal prejudice, whatever ahead of rational judgement. Hell, even like 5% of Democrats voted for him. That's crazy behaviour. I think you have to assume a 27% crazification factor in any population.

Furthermore, another factor in Obama's favour at the time that Rogers didn't mention is that the original Republican candidate, Jack Ryan, had been forced to suspend his candidacy after his divorce and custody records were released to the press, revealing that he had taken his former wife, actress Jeri Ryan, to various sex clubs (including, in at least one case, a bondage club) and tried to have her perform sex acts on him out in the open. Keyes was the GOP's last-minute replacement on the ticket after the sordid details of Ryan's divorce came out. So not only was it a normal candidate running against a clearly crazy opponent, but the crazy guy also had the baggage of the last guy's sex scandal following him, and had been drafted into the campaign with little time to prepare.

This 27% support is tattooed in my cranium as the batshit crazy support I thought Rob Ford would end up with. With Rob out and Doug in, I suspect he'll end up with that same 27%.

I tried to ignore this mayoral race throughout the summer, pledging to plug myself back in after labour day. Now that I'm back, it's clearer to me than ever that this city I love needs to send Rob Ford a message that we deserve a mayor with far more self-control and self-respect.

The past four years under Ford have been extremely divisive. He's pitted the downtowners against the suburbs, he's refused to work with council and he lies so often and effortlessly, it's shocking. His ignorant refusal to participate in the pride parade and frequent racist and bigoted comments have made him a laughing stock. I'm not even going to mention the videos of him smoking crack, the skeezy activities with his buddy Sandro Lisi, his firing from the Don Bosco football team, and the objectifying comments he's made about his own wife.

But even without the circus sideshow antics, Rob Ford is bad for business. His policies are short-sighted, often presented without appropriate research and sufficient details, and he's completely ineffective as a leader. We simply can't afford to make this mistake twice.

Ideally, David Soknacki would win on October 27, but he won't. Of the favourites, my preference is Olivia Chow, but like many Torontonians in 2014, I'm willing to alter my vote in a strategic effort to keep Rob Ford out of office. I'm willing to vote for John Tory, and here's why.

All I want in a mayor is a sensible, intelligent person who is willing to work with council to reach consensus. I want my mayor to represent all Torontonians, regardless of sexual preference, skin colour, gender or even income and postal code. I want a mayor who unites the city, and moves us forward without providing embarrassing content to late night talk show hosts. Both John Tory and Olivia Chow fit this mould and both would make fine mayors.

My values better align with Olivia Chow's, but if Olivia Chow and John Tory split the anti-Ford vote, it gives Rob Ford a chance. That's not a chance I'm willing to take.